Some Basics...

• Vomiting is the forceful throwing up of the stomach's contents through the mouth.
• Nausea and stomach upset are often felt before each bout of vomiting.
• Vomiting can be caused by many types of illnesses.
• Vomiting that occurs with diarrhea might be stomach flu or food poisoning.
• Staying well-hydrated is the key for adults with vomiting. An adult who feels well and is not thirsty or dizzy is not dehydrated. People with moderate to severe dehydration will need medical care. They most often need to be seen in a hospital setting.

Causes

• Appendicitis
• Bowel obstruction
• Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA): This is seen in people with diabetes who are taking insulin. Vomiting in these people should be taken seriously. They should most often go to a hospital.
• Food allergy
• Food poisoning: This is caused by eating contaminated food. Harmful bacteria and their toxins can grow in some foods. Eating foods with these germs will make a person sick. Vomiting, diarrhea, and/or stomach pain are common. These most often start 2-6 hours after eating the food. Usually food poisoning can be treated at home.
• Headaches: Vomiting happens to some people with migraine or cluster headaches.
• Hepatitis: This is when the liver swells. It can be caused by many things. It is often caused by a virus. Symptoms include nausea and vomiting.
• Kidney stone attack: Often, people with flank pain also have nausea and vomiting.
• Medications: This is the most common cause of vomiting in adults. It should always be considered as a cause in older people. Some medications that cause this are digoxin, narcotics, erythromycin, NSAIDS, and anticancer drugs.
• Motion sickness: Some people feel sick when they feel motion. This most often happens while in a car, a boat or airplane. Signs of motion sickness include dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. These will stop when the motion stops.
• Neurologic disease: Increased intracranial pressure or brain swelling can make people vomit. Diseases that can cause this are meningitis, encephalitis, Reye’s syndrome, blocked V-P shunt, and head trauma. Other causes of increased intracranial pressure may cause vomiting.
• Response to certain smells
• Stomach flu: This is a very common cause of vomiting in adults. It is most often caused by a virus. Usually stomach flu can be treated at home.
• Vomiting after surgery
• Vomiting in first trimester of pregnancy: This is called morning sickness. It happens to many women in the first months of pregnancy. It most often is not serious.

1. What You Should Know:
   • Vomiting can be caused by many types of illnesses.
   • Adults with vomiting need to stay hydrated. Try to not lose more fluids than you take in. If you don't replace lost fluids, you may get dehydrated. People with moderate to severe dehydration will need medical care. They most often need to be seen in a hospital.
   • You can treat mild vomiting at home.
   • Here is some care advice that should help.
2. For Nonstop Vomiting, Try Sleeping:
   • Try to go to sleep. Sleep often empties the stomach and may make you feel better.
   • When you wake up, start drinking liquids. Start with water.
3. Clear Liquids: Try to sip small amounts (1 tablespoon) of liquid every 5 minutes. Do this for 8 hours. This works better than drinking a lot of liquid all at one time.
   • Sip water or a sport drink like Gatorade or Powerade.
   • Other choices are 1/2 strength flat lemon-lime soda or ginger ale. Use half water and half soda. Let the bubbles in the soda go flat.
   • After 4 hours without vomiting, drink larger amounts.
4. Solid Food:
   • You may start to eat bland foods after 8 hours without vomiting. Start with saltine crackers, white bread, rice, mashed potatoes, cereal, or applesauce.
   • After 48 hours, you may go back to a normal diet.
5. Avoid Medicines:
   • Stop taking all non-prescription drugs for 24 hours. They may make the vomiting worse.
   • Call your doctor if you throw up a prescription drug.
6. How It Is Spread: Return to normal activities after the vomiting and fever stop.
7. What to Expect: Vomiting from stomach flu most often stops in 12-48 hours. If you also have diarrhea, it will most often last for a few days.
8. Call Your Doctor If:
   • Vomiting lasts more than 48 hours
   • You are dehydrated (dizzy, dry mouth, very thirsty)
   • You get worse